Playing professional sports is one of the the biggest dreams a kid could ever imagine. According to the NCAA, only 1.4% of people actually make it to the professional level. However, 8th grader Charles Ahl hopes to defy such odds.
Having played since he was 3, Charles said soccer always came naturally to him. The sport seemed to run in the Ahl family ever since Charles’s oldest brother, Gordon, started playing. Soon after, the three younger brothers wanted to play as well.
“Ever since I was little, I used to always watch [Charles] play while I would sit with my parents,” 7th grader Matthew Ahl said. “I always wanted to be like him.”
Gordon, the oldest brother, is currently playing club soccer for Georgetown University. 8th grader Charles Ahl plays for Orlando City D.A. and he this has been his first year in the D.A. program as he started in September, 2016.
The Developmental Academy (D.A.) team is apart of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (U.S.S.D.A.) and D.A. teams play other D.A. teams all over the country. Every 2 months is an MLS Cup where MLS youth teams play in a tournament and how well those MLS youth teams do in the regular season seeds them in the M.L.S. Cup.
“I always wanted to be like Charles,” Matthew said. “Ever since he got into the Orlando City Developmental Academy and I didn’t, it just pushed me to work even harder.”
The difference between playing on a developmental academy (D.A.) team and a regular team is that D.A. fully funds you. This includes fees, transportation, cleats, jerseys, and team gear.
It is also the highest level of national competition available for boys. Orlando City D.A. is also known for pulling players to their professional team like they did to current Orlando City player Mason Stajduhar.
“Charles has always been a great young kid. He was very positive when he played and he always wanted what was best for the team and he made sure they got it,” Charles Mom said.
Ahl consistently seemed to be one of the unselfish players and loved to move the ball according to most of his teammates, coaches, and his mom. Because of this, he compared himself to Christian Eriksen.
Christian Eriksen is a professional player who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in London, England and plays the same position as Ahl. Ahl said he compared himself to Christian Eriksen because Eriksen loves to play in the style where he makes his teammates better.
Ahl’s former 7th grade coach, Coach Johnson, describes the younger Charles as a player who was a team player as well as a versatile player.
“He always wanted to play the simple pass and he just wanted to set up his teammates,” Coach Johnson said. “However when I put him in a more attacking role, he still was effective and scored 14 goals the whole season.”
With Orlando City D.A., Ahl has started in 13 games out of the 19 he has played. He currently has 2 goals for them. He is still looking to go pro, but if he ever left or got cut from the Orlando City D.A. team, then he said he would gladly play for the Trinity Prep varsity soccer team. While Orlando City might be his team, Trinity Prep is his heart.